What Is the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
The Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse (山下家住宅米蔵, Yamashita-ke Jūtaku Komegura) is a two-storey earth-walled storehouse built in 1883 in Tsuji, Ikawa-cho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, and was entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on October 27, 2017. It stands behind the main house at the western edge of the property.
It covers 52 square meters under a gabled roof of hongawara tiles, partly replaced with sangawara tiles. Of the Yamashita buildings with a firm date, it is the oldest, sixteen years older than the main house.
A Back Door to the Canal
Inside, the Yamashita Rice Storehouse is divided into three rooms, with two doorways on the east side facing into the property, toward the house.
The more interesting opening is on the other side. There is a doorway in the middle of the back wall, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs records the tradition that goods were hauled up through it from a canal that once ran behind the storehouse. Rice and other cargo brought by boat could go straight into the store without ever touching the street.
Tsuji was a place where leaf tobacco and other mountain produce were gathered and shipped on. The rear doorway of the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse is that trade, written into the building. The Agency speaks of the canal in the past tense, so it is presumably gone.
The Rice Storehouse Roof
Most of the roof is hongawara, the heavy system of alternating flat and round tiles; part of it uses sangawara, a lighter single-piece tile that does both jobs at once. The Agency does not say which part or why. It may mark an area re-roofed during a later repair.
Why the Rice Storehouse Was Registered
The Yamashita Rice Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency notes that, with its loading door from the canal, it preserves the history of Tsuji as a place that produced and gathered tobacco and other goods. It is both a storehouse that kept the family's rice and goods safe and a building from which the town's old supply lines can still be read.
Seeing the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse
No public opening of the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse has been announced (checked October 2026). Because it stands at the back of the property, it is not confirmed how much of it can be seen from the surrounding roads. There is no official guidance on photography; please stay off the property and keep the residents' private life out of any pictures. Directions to Tsuji are on the Yamashita Family Residence (Miyoshi) page.
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Q&A
- When was the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- In 1883. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on October 27, 2017.
- What was the back door of the Yamashita Rice Storehouse used for?
- According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it is said to have been used to haul goods up from a canal that once ran behind the storehouse.
- How is the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse built?
- It is a two-storey earth-walled storehouse with a gabled roof of hongawara tiles, partly sangawara. Inside are three rooms, and the building area is 52 square meters.
- Where is the Yamashita Rice Storehouse on the property?
- Behind the main house at the western edge of the plot, with two doorways on its east side facing the house.
- Can I visit the Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse?
- No opening has been announced (checked October 2026). It stands behind the main house, and its visibility from the road is not confirmed.
Basic Information
| Name | Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 76-2 Tsuji, Ikawacho, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, and other locations |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2017 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 52 m² |
| Owner | Unknown (not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Interior not open |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012062
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yamashita Family Residence Rice Storehouse (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/289923
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Registration recommendation of July 21, 2017 (Japanese)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/pdf/r1392281_22.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
